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Published on: February 16, 2011
Unmet service needs of persons with traumatic brain injury
E Elisabeth Pickelsimer1, Anbesaw W Selassie, Pat L Sample
1Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. pickelse@musc.edu
Objectives:
Assess unmet needs of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) 1 year after hospital discharge; compare perceived need with needs based on deficits (unrecognized need); determine major barriers to services; evaluate association of needs with satisfaction with life.
Participants:
Representative sample of 1830 community-dwelling persons with TBI aged 15 years and older.
Measures:
Perceived and unrecognized unmet needs, barriers to receiving services, and satisfaction with life as a function of met service needs.
Results:
35.2% of participants reported at least 1 unmet need, 51.5% had unrecognized needs, 47% reported at least 1 barrier to receiving help. Receipt of services significantly increased satisfaction with life.
Conclusions:
Many persons experiencing TBI report having unmet service needs 1 year after hospital discharge.
